The second annual Dolphins Cycling Challenge fulfilled its mission of doubling the first year’s fundraising goal. At Sunday’s Dolphins game, the Miami Dolphins Foundation presented a check for $1,070,000 from the Dolphins Cycling Challenge to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. The amount is one of the largest gifts ever to Sylvester from a single event and represented 100 percent of net proceeds raised by more than 860 cyclists, including over 160 children and 21 cancer survivors, who participated in the second annual Dolphins Cycling Challenge November 5-6.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, Vice Chairman Jorge Perez and CEO Mike Dee presented the check during a pre-game ceremony on the field of Sun Life Stadium to University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala, Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School of Medicine, and Stuart Miller, UM Trustee, Chairman of the Miller School’s Momentum 2 Medical Campaign Leadership Committee and CEO of Lennar Corporation. Jayne S. Malfitano, Vice Chair of the Sylvester Board of Governors, took part in the check presentation as well.

“This year’s DCC has been phenomenal, uniting many of us in South Florida toward the common goal of fighting cancer,” said Shalala. “We are honored to be partners with the Miami Dolphins for this annual event.”

“We are very grateful for the incredible support of our fans and friends who rode and for all of those who volunteered, donated or sponsored the challenge,” said Ross. “The community has embraced this young event early on in a significant way, so we’re optimistic that in a matter of years it will rival some of the largest charity cycling events in the country and raise multi-millions for cancer research and treatment right here in South Florida.”

In just its second year, the DCC more than doubled both the number of riders and the contribution to Sylvester. Riders spanned ages from three to 84, and nearly 450 volunteers from the club’s Dolphins Special Teams program helped stage the event. Among the notable riders who participated were Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, 20 Dolphins alumni including Zach Thomas, Bob Griese and other community leaders, along with dozens of Sylvester physicians.

W. Jarrard Goodwin, M.D., chief medical officer of Sylvester, and Mark Stoutenberg, Ph.D., research assistant professor of epidemiology and public health, were co-captains of “Team Sylvester,” which raised more than $145,000. Goodwin described the event as “enormously inspirational. It was very gratifying to see so many people gathered for this common goal of fighting cancer, something we work toward every day at Sylvester.”

The two-day event featured six different bicycle rides from 30 to 170 miles that went through 37 cities in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. This year’s ride was dedicated to former Dolphin Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich, who lost his battle with bile duct cancer early this year. Breaking the $1 million mark makes the DCC one of Florida’s largest athletic fundraisers.

For more information about the Dolphins Cycling Challenge, please visit www.RideDCC.com.